barbaric
adjective
bar·bar·ic
bär-ˈber-ik 
-ˈba-rik
1
a
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a group of people who are alien to another land, culture, or people and who are usually believed to be inferior : of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
b
: possessing or characteristic of a cultural level more complex than primitive (see primitive entry 1 sense 2c) culture but less sophisticated than advanced civilization (see civilization sense 1a)
2
a
: marked by a lack of restraint : wild
a barbaric use of color
b
: having a bizarre, primitive, or unsophisticated quality
… I sound my barbaric yawp …—
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitmanthe tangled, loose barbaric magnificence of the Elizabethan drama—Think
Think3
: barbarous sense 3
barbaric crimes
Synonyms
Examples of barbaric in a Sentence
Barbaric tribes invaded the area.
His table manners are barbaric.
They considered the custom barbaric.
The treatment of the prisoners was positively barbaric.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sudanese who took the same route with other smugglers say they were subjected to barbaric conditions on the journey.
—Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
The two-and-a-half-hour film follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The baseless claims have been described as racist because of the implication that Haitian immigrants, most of whom are Black, have barbaric practices or are incapable of living peacefully among white neighbors.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2024
Where The Convert does excel is in its treatment of the Maori characters, even the most barbaric of whom are afforded dimensions mostly lacking in their British counterparts.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for barbaric 
Ryan Lenora Brown, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Oct. 2024
The two-and-a-half-hour film follows two Black teenagers who become wards of a barbaric juvenile reformatory in Jim Crow-era Florida.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 28 Sep. 2024
The baseless claims have been described as racist because of the implication that Haitian immigrants, most of whom are Black, have barbaric practices or are incapable of living peacefully among white neighbors.
—David Ingram, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2024
Where The Convert does excel is in its treatment of the Maori characters, even the most barbaric of whom are afforded dimensions mostly lacking in their British counterparts.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for barbaric
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'barbaric.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near barbaric
Cite this Entry
“Barbaric.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/barbaric. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
barbaric
adjective
bar·bar·ic
bär-ˈbar-ik
1
: of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
2
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